What Golf Equipment is in Dustin’s bag?

Dustin Johnson got the new TaylorMade R1 Driver off to a flying start by clinching the PGA Tour’s season-opening Tournament of Champions by four shots over defending champion Steve Stricker.

The TaylorMade R1 is a one-size-fits-all driver that can be set anywhere between 8- and 12-degrees. The R1 also allows loft and face angle to be adjusted independently of each other, which will prove a welcome addition to the golfer seeking their desired ball flight.

It has 7 face angle options (square, open, medium-open, maximum-open, closed, medium-closed, maximum-closed) as well as movable weights to promote a neutral/straight flight or a distance-enhancing draw. This driver also features a lower and more forward CG to promote a high launch, fast ball speed and low spin. The result is one driver that can be full adjusted to fit any player.

Johnson, who headed to the Plantation Course at Kapalua to play six rounds in advance of the tournament, employed his TaylorMade R1 Fairway Wood at 10-degree with a higher loft sleeve, neutral face angle, and with an 8-gram shot shape weight in the toe and 2-gram in the heel.

The South Carolina star also performed admirably with his new TaylorMade RocketBladez Irons by finding 89% of the greens in regulation and follows Sergio Garcia as the second player to win using the clubs. It has been launched with much fanfare, but that is OK when there is a significant technical improvement. In this case it is the speed pocket on the sole of the club which allows the face to flex more to generate more ball speed and hence distance.

The speed pocket only features in the 3-7 irons and then they go to more traditional cavity backs. Normally this is where we get worried as the short irons in a cast distance set are well it all falls down. However, we have to say the TaylorMade RBZ Stage 2 Fairway Wood are really lovely to hit,complement the rest of the set very well and are one of the best wedges we have tried in this category.